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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. game — a match
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to sink
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — humankind
  10. game — wild animals
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — after costs
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. net — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com